1
as in rebellion
refusal to obey
any defiance of the authoritarian regime would have dire consequences
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opposition
the inclination to resist
the troubled youth seems to have an ingrained defiance to authority of any sort
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
a deeply troubled person who seemed the very soul of defiance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defiance
The Graduate is all about a generation’s defiance, about the young rejecting the values and norms of the old, about disillusionment with the status quo and the burden of expectations that seem neither fair nor morally sound.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
What To Know Boasberg, a Washington D.C. federal judge, is demanding to know if the Trump administration deported a group of Venezuelan men in defiance of Boasberg's court order.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
The administration also deported hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants in apparent defiance of court orders.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2025
Legal scholars warn that if courts allow such defiance to go unpunished, the judiciary’s ability to serve as a check on executive power could be permanently weakened.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defiance
Erik Kain, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
What To Know Boasberg, a Washington D.C. federal judge, is demanding to know if the Trump administration deported a group of Venezuelan men in defiance of Boasberg's court order.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
The administration also deported hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants in apparent defiance of court orders.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2025
Legal scholars warn that if courts allow such defiance to go unpunished, the judiciary’s ability to serve as a check on executive power could be permanently weakened.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defiance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defiance
Noun
-
The hit show returns with its sixth and final season on April 8, and audiences should brace for an explosive finale as the rebellion in Gilead finally ignites.—
Abigail Lee,
Variety,
5 Apr. 2025
-
The title is borrowed from Elizabeth Alexander’s fourth collection persona poems, historical narratives, jazz riffs, sonnets, elegies, and a sequence of ars poetica which examines the Black experience through the lens of the slave rebellion on the Amistad and nineteenth-century American art.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
No Republicans signaled opposition to Huckabee’s nomination, assuring his passage.—
The Hill,
The Hill,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York reversed its opposition to the cause of action in 2004 and supported no fault.—
Patricia Fersch,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The ethics of threatening the victim of aggression apart, if SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider we will be forced to look for other suppliers.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
-
In the wake of the US minimizing Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and casting doubts about its commitment to NATO, the European Union is now pushing all of its members to raise military budgets and issue debt to fund defense purchases.—
Miles Bryan,
Vox,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The speaker has shown more resistance than his predecessors against DeSantis, who is reaching the end of his term and is barred from running for his seat a third time under state law.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2025
-
But a longer-term offensive in Gaza could also draw stiff resistance from the Israeli public, a majority of which has been clamoring for a hostage release deal instead of a return to war.—
Eugenia Yosef,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
That decision came over the objections of Chief Justice John Roberts and the court's three liberal justices.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Kansas Action for Children, a nonpartisan child advocacy group, has also voiced objection to the amendment Williams added to the bill enshrining religious freedom exemptions to immunization requirements for daycares.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Stolarz’s inclination to shout instructions at teammates on the ice, often with serious levels of hostility in the name of competition, comes to him naturally.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Musk’s comments were at odds with Trump’s hostility towards the European Union, which Trump has targeted with a 20% tariff on exports.—
Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger,Christina Wilkie,Michael Wayland,April Roach,Erin Doherty,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
From today’s extended look, director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have delivered something that’s akin to a Top Gun with lots of riveting, cut-the-corner race scenes that outstrip those of James Mangold’s Ford v. Ferrari (no disrespect) and bromance camaraderie.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Most commenters on the TSR post agreed that Yung Miami meant no disrespect and that Lizzo was being a little oversensitive.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Due to disobedience, they had been carried off to a foreign land.—
Rev. Tom Rakow,
Twin Cities,
24 Apr. 2024
-
Alleging disobedience, among other claimed doctrinal infractions, the OCA excommunicated the Homyks and longtime parish council leader Rivera.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defiance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiance. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share